Bus bar



nus BAR: I

Raymond H. Boardman, Hartford, Conn., assignor to The. Hart Manufacturing Company, Hartford, Conn a corporation of Connecticut Filed'Nov. 20, 1957, Ser. No. 697,683 4 Claims. (Cl. 339-256) This invention relates to bus bars and more particularly to a bus bar'having novel"and improved. means for the attachment of contacts and electrical wire connections.

It is the object of this invention to provide a bus bar of novel and improved construction having integral terminals for the solderless attachment of contacts and electrical wire connections whereby the contacts and wire may be quickly and easily assembled with and disassembled from the bus bar while providing good electrical connection therebetween when in assembly therewith.

It is another object of this invention to provide a bus bar of the type described which'is simple and economical to manufacture yet which will provide a long service life without deterioration of the retaining char- I acteristics of the contact and wire attaching terminals constructed in accordance with the invention shown in assembly with switch carried spade contacts and with electrical wires, indicated in phantom;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of a spade contact terminal portion of the bar of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary edge View of a spade contact terminal portion of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view along. the line'4-4' of Pi 2;

iig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of a wireterminal portion-of the bar of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary edge view of a wire terminal portion of Fig. 1; and

Pig. 7 is a cross-sectional view along the line 7-7 of Fig. 5.

With reference to the drawings, a bus bar constructed in accordance with the invention is generally indicated at 10 in association with a plurality of switches 12 each having a contact 14 engaged with a contact attaching terminal 16 formed integrally with the bar. Additionally, a plurality of insulated electrical wires, comprising a solid wire core 20 are engaged respectively with wire attaching terminals 212 also formed integrally with the bar 10. The alternately disposed arrangement of contact and wire attaching terminals shown in Fig. 1 is, of course, merely by way of example, as it is to be understood that these terminalsmay be disposed in any desired pattern along the bar 10. Also, in the drawings, the contacts 14 are depicted as spade type contacts, but it will be understood that this has been done merely by way of example and that the invention is not necessarily limited to use with such contacts.

ited States Patent with good electrical conductivity as well as resiliency.

The bar 10 is in the specific embodiment an elongated fiat piece of spring tempered brass to provide the, bar

The contact attaching terminals 16; are identical and, therefore, in the interests of brevity, only one such terminal' will be described in detail. The contact attaching terminal 16 comprises a center strip 24'extending longitudinally of the bar and separated along its longitudinal edges :26, 218 from the remainder of the bar so as to provide a pair of side strips 30, 32 disposed on opposite sides of the center strip and extending parallel therewith.

"As can be most clearly seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the center portion 34 of the center strip 24 is olfset laterally in spaced relation to the remainder of the bar, at right angles to the general plane of the bar. Further, the side strips 30, 32 are offset at rightv angles to. the general plane of the bar in a direction opposite the direction of offset of the center strip 24. The center portion 34 of the center strip is provided with an elongated depression 36 extending longitudinally thereof which provides an elongatedconvex bearing portion 38 facing the side strips 30 and 32.

Further, in accordance with the invention, the center portions 49, 42 of the side strips 30, 32 respectively, are twisted about their longitudinal axes to provide inclined portions extending longitudinally of the bar and inclined toward each other laterally of the side strips from the outer to the inner longitudinal edges thereof. The portions 40, 42 are preferably of diminishing lengths from their outer longitudinal edges toward the center of the bar.

In the use of the bar to attach a spade contact, the contact 14, as can be seen in Fig. 1, is inserted laterally of the bar 10 and between the inclined portions 40, 42 of the side strips and 'beaiing portion 38 of the center strip 24. It is preferable that the maximum lateral spacing of the side strips 40, 42 from the bearing portion 38 of the center strip be approximately equal to or slightly less than the thickness of the spade contact whereby upon insertion of a contact, as described above, the contact will tend to twist the inclined portions 46, 42 of the side strips toward the general plane of the bar as Well as tend to separate the side strips from the center Strip. The result, of course, is a very firm clamping of the contact and also very good electrical engagement between the bus bar and contact. I

The wire attaching terminals 22 are substantially identical in construction and therefore, only one such terminal will be described in detail. With reference to Figs. 5-7, each wire attaching terminal 22 comprises a plurality of strips 44-48 extending longitudinally of the bar 10 with each strip being separated from the next adjacent strip along the adjoining longitudinal edges thereof. As can be most clearly seen in Fig. 7, the strips 44-48 are alternately offset in opposite directions at right angles relative to the general plane of the bar so that the strips 44-, 46 and 48 are in spaced relation to and on the opposite side of the bar from the strips 45 and 47. The center portion of each of the strips is struck out to provide a wire receiving recess 50 generally V-shaped in cross section extending laterally of the strip and facing gen- I erally toward the next adjacent strip. The sides of the recesses 50 are inclined longitudinally of the recesses and inwardly of the bar from one longitudinal edge of the strip to the other. As most clearly shown in Fig. 5, all of the recesses are inclined in the same general direction laterally of the bar but alternately in opposite directions outwardly of the general plane of the bar. Each side of each recess is preferably of greater width at its outer edge than at its inner edge.

In the use of the bar for the attaching of a wire thereto, the wire is inserted laterally of the bar as shown 3 in Fig. 1 and between the strips 44, 46 and 48 and the strips 45 and 47 in engagement with the sides of the recesses 50. The inclination of the sides of the recess,

as described, results in the wire, uponinsertion, tending to twist the strips 4448 toward the general plane .of the bar, which in combination with the tendency of the wire to separate the oppositely offset strips provides very firm retention of the wire, as well as good electrical engagement between the wire and bar. The depth and width of the recesses 50 may be dimensioned with respect to specific wire sizes to insure proper retention of a wire without requiring undue force for insertions.

The bar is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, being formed of a single piece of metal with the contact and wire attaching terminals formed integrally with the bar. It should be noted that the varying length of the center portions 40, 42 of the side strips of the contact terminals 16 and the varying width of the sides of the recesses 56 of the wire terminals 22, as shown in Figs. 2 and 7, respectively, provides a funnel-like configuration to the terminals facilitating insertion of a contact or wire.

Thus, it can be seen that there has been provided a bus bar having integral spade type contact attaching terminals as well as wire attaching terminals, both of novel and improved construction. The contacts and wire may be very easily attached to the bar as well as detached therefrom. The bar will provide a long service life and it has been found that contacts in wire may be attached and detached to and from the bar numerous times without detrimental effect on the holding or electrical contact making characteristics of the contact or wire terminals of the bar.

. I claim:

1. An elongated flat bus bar of electrically conductive metal having a terminal formed integrally therewith and comprising an elongated center strip extending longitudinally of the bus bar in spaced relation to the longitudinal edges of the bar, said center strip being separated from the remainder of the bar along its longitudinal edges to provide a pair of similarly extending side strips on opposite sides thereof, said center strip further being offset relative to said side strips at right angles to the general plane of the bar, said side strips being inclined laterally outwardly of the bar and toward each other whereby an elongated electrical connection may be inserted laterally of and between said side strips and center strip for firm clamping engagement therebetween.

2. An elongated flat bus bar of electrically conductive metal having a terminal formed integrally therewith adapted to clampingly engage an elongated electrical connection extending laterally of the bar andcomprising an elongated center strip extending longitudinally of the bar in spaced relation to the longitudinal edges thereof and separated from the remainder of the bar along the longitudinal edges of said center strip to provide a pair of similarly extending side strips on opposite sides thereof, said center strip being offset in spaced relation relative to said side strips at right angles to the general plane of the bar, each of said side strips being provided intermediate and spaced from its ends with a portion extending longitudinally thereof and inclined laterally outwardly of the bar and toward the other side strip, each of the inclined portions diminishing in length from the outer longitudinal edge thereof toward the center strip.

3. An elongated flat bus bar of electrically conductive metal having a terminal formed integrally therewith adapted to clampingly engage an elongated electrical connector extending laterally of the bar and comprising an elongated center strip extending longitudinally of the bar in spaced relation to the longitudinal edges thereof and separated fromthe remainder of the bar along the longitudinal edges of said center strip to provide a pair of similarly extending side strips on opposite sides thereof, said center strip being offset in spaced relation relative to said side strips at right angles to the general plane of the bar and being provided with a convex portion facing toward said side strips and extending longitudinally of said center strip, said side strips being inclined laterally outwardly of the bar and toward each other.

4. An elongated flat bus bar of electrically conductive metal having an integral terminal for the solderless attachment of an elongated electrical connector and comprising an elongated center strip extending longitudinally of the bar in spaced relation to the longitudinal edges of the bar and separated from the remainder of the bar along the longitudinal edges of said center strip to provide a pair of similarly extending side strips on opposite sides thereof, said center strip being offset in spaced relation relative to said side strips at right angles to the general plane of the bar and being provided with a contact engageable convex portion facing toward said side strips and extending longitudinally of said center strip, said side strips being provided with electrical connector engageable portions extending longitudinally thereof and inclined laterally outwardly of the bar and toward each other from the outer longitudinal edges of the bar, each of the inclined portions diminishing in length from the outer longitudinal edge of the bar toward the inner longitudinal edge of the associated side strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Ulrich Mar. 20, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Oct. [1, 1909" 

